determine the guilt or innocence grounded upon a presentation of facts and evidence. The current structure of trial by jury is not sufficiently democratic. Jury panels are not selected democratically, but instead are chosen through a process call “voir dire” where attorneys and the judge ask a series of questions to establish the “impartiality” of the potential juror. This aspect of jury selection rejects the democratic notion that everyone is equally qualified to rule. The unanimity of the verdict
Twelve Angry Men The jury in a trial is selected to examine certain facts and determine truth based only upon the evidence presented to them in court. It is assumed that the jurors will judge fairly and without any personal bias. In spite of this assumption people will be people and in some cases, logic and emotion will collide. An excellent example that shows precisely what I’m talking about is in the movie Twelve Angry Men. Twelve men who initially are strangers to each other have the fate of
Jury Selection of the 1930’s was very racially bias and prejudice towards the African American race. Also they minimialized women's rights by not letting them participate in the jury.The jury selection process has changed vastly from the 1930’s until now, it is more complex and safe and open to all race and gender, people can’t just be on the jury there is a selection process for it. Surprisingly you can get out jury selection easier than you would think. You can be excused for the following reasons
Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 541-547. Suggs, D., & Sales, B. D. (1978). The art and science of conducting the voir dire. Professional Psychology, 9(3), 367-388. Hovland, C.I., Janis, I.L., & Kelley, H.H. (1953) Communication and persuasion: Psychological studies of opinion change. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Spaeth, J.M., (2003) Recognizing and Exposing Juror Bias in Voir Dire. American Psychological Association, 1-8.
In the play Twelve Angry men the theme of Bias is very strong. The vote is 11 to 1 in a murder trial of a 16-year-old boy charged with stabbing and killing his father. Without any discussion eleven jurors presumed the defendant is guilty. Did the defendant’s racial bias, class bias, confirmation bias, play a role in their decision? Racial Bias is a form of discrimination. Racial profiling targets certain groups based on one’s own opinion that some groups are more likely to commit certain crimes
attorneys go beyond the bounds of decency to collect information about potential jurors for a murder case. The typical process that the United States follows when finding potential jurors is called Vior Dire. Through this process attorneys can select or reject jurors depending on the answers to their Vior Dire, or their questionnaire. The questionnaire generally asks about backgrounds and biases the juror may have. I believe this is the fair way to pick and chose jurors and the way Rankin Fitch went about
In the movie Twelve Angry Men, tells the story of an ongoing debate within a jury whether to find the defendant guilty or not for murdering his father. While watching the movie, I couldn’t help but realize that there was a lot of techniques used by the juries and lawyers to sway the vote in either directions. I was able analyze the movie using social psychology as my main tool. I could relate the movie to the topic of social psychology by comparing it to Asch’s experiment and the act of conformity
a B. It was a bit over dramatic for my taste. The inclusion of information about the young man’s past juvenile record wouldn't have been allowed. Jurors # 3 and # 10 were so prejudiced that their attitudes would have gotten them rejected during voir dire. And it was wrong for Juror # 8 to present evidence like a defense attorney by re-enacting the old man's walk to the front door or to investigate on his own by purchasing the knife. The heated interactions between some of the jurors seemed exaggerated
Reflection of 12 Angry Men and Group Stages Groups develop in a healthy way, dissolve because of lack of care, or end up in disarray. Understanding how to begin and nurture a group significantly improves the chances that the goals of the group and its members will be achieved, and chaos will be avoided (Gladding, 2012). This paper will examine the various characteristics of the Gladding (2008) stages/transitions of group development. Research will illustrate understanding of these areas and how
Characterization plays a major part in most movies, this is what gives the audience insights into a characters personality. The film 12 Angry Men relies more heavily on the use of characterization than any other movie I can think of. Due to the lack of special effects and because the film takes place almost entirely in a small jury room the development of characters was key. This star studded cast of actors included such names as: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, and Ed Begley, even the guy from The Odd
Tension in Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men Twelve Angry Men is set in summertime New York, 1957. Where a juvenile delinquent is put on trial for stabbing his violent father in the chest with a unique knife. A jury of twelve men is ordered by the judge to vote guilty if there is no reasonable doubt. In the ballot: eleven vote guilty, but one feels the need to discuss the boy's guilt and the ambiguity of the evidence given. In the play, the judge's speech, when read gives the impression
The Factors Influencing the Way Each of the Members of the Jury Perceived the Murder in Twelve Angry Men Each of the members of the jury perceived the murder according to their own beliefs, values and social status. As the story unfolds, reveals the jurors' complex personalities, preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. The most important factors that influence perception is personality, learning and motivation. The juror that strongly believes that the defendant is guilty is a very
The Runaway Jury by John Grisham Takes place in Biloxi, Mississippi. MAIN CHARACTERS Nicholas Easter – (real name is Jeff Kerr) Juror that was a plant on the jury. He and his girlfriend Marlee had money motives. Nicholas molded the jury from day one to vote his way. Marlee – (aka Claire Clement - real name is Gabrielle Brant) Nicholas Easter's accomplice on the outside of the courtroom. Rankin Fitch - Ran the show of high-priced lawyers and consultants for the defendant, Pynex (tobacco
Once planted in the minds of individuals, ideas have a remarkable ability to grow with the strength and speed of the most powerful pathogens – possessing equal communicability as they spread to proximal centers of consciousness. How can this characteristic of ideas be utilized to benefit society? In the film Twelve Angry Men, we see a situation where Juror Eight – equipped with all the autonomy and wisdom of an ideal leader – appeals to logos in an attempt to promote the consideration of an idea
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the movie, 12 Angry Men, and apply the concepts that I have learned thus far. In doing so, I will apply the key concepts of conformity, obedience, persuasion, group influence, and prejudice. 12 Angry Men is about the jury deliberations of 12 men as they decide if a young Puerto Rican man, who is accused of killing his father, is guilty or not guilty. At the start of the jury deliberations, Juror #1, Martin Balsam, the amicable jury foreman, wanted to achieve
Bad days are the worst and when one has to wait in a room for an extended period of time to be placed in another room to decide the verdict of someone’s life; bad results are bound to happen. One unfortunate trait of a bad day is heat from either a loud argument or an excruciating hot day in a crowded city. The time and setting of Reginald Rose’s “Twelve Angry Men” will be used to show how the conditions in the jury room correlate to the jurors’ attitudes but does not ultimately consequent to an
12 Angry Men - Juror#3 In a crowded jury room in downtown New York, opinions collide as discussion about the innocence of a young boy is decided. The dark and foreboding storm clouds that hang over the heads of the jurors are beginning to lift as time progresses and new facts are presented. One juror is not happy about this stay of execution and is holding fast his opinion of guilty. Juror three, the president of his business, refuses to alter his vote or opinion in any way. Still haunted by his
Standing up for what one believes in is not always easy. The book Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose should be taught in schools for many reasons. The book is about the trial of a sixteen year old boy accused of killing his father. The boy’s fate is determined by the decision reached by twelve jurors in a New York jury room. Twelve Angry Men displays the effects that one person can have on a group, it teaches the value of being part of a jury, and it explores how stereotypes and prejudices can have
Different personalities have different effects on situations. Sometimes, you have to dig deeper into someone’s personalities to understand their places. In the film Twelve Angry Men, by Reginald Rose, twelve jurors come together and their different personalities create the whole story. The nature of each character had a different effect on the story. There are ways to simplify personalities by symbolizing them. In Diagram #1, Juror #12 is distant, Juror #8 is in the center, and Juror #3 is inside
Twelve Angry Men Twelve Angry Men was made in 1957; it’s an American drama film. Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Reginald Rose. The setting of the movie was in “big apple” New York City, jury room. It was very hot due to the fan being broken and there were no windows. The twelve men is a movie about a murder trial. It begins with a little eighteen year old boy from the ghetto who is put on trial for the murder of his abusive father. There is a jury of twelve men, that is locked in a room